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In the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), St. Edward's University exceeded the national average on all five benchmarks, including academic challenge, collaborative learning, student-faculty interactions, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

St. Edward's University Celebrates August Graduation Ceremonies

St. Edward’s University will recognize 266 graduation candidates on Saturday, Aug. 20. The Graduate Programs and New College ceremony is at 10 a.m., and the Undergraduate ceremony is at 2 p.m. Both events will be held in the Recreation and Convocation Center.

Susan Loughran, professor in University Programs and recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Teaching Career Award, will deliver the keynote address at both ceremonies. Loughran has been teaching at St. Edward’s University for 33 years. She has inspired students in both the Theater program and in the many general education courses she has taught, and has left her mark on the university’s curriculum in numerous ways. She believes that a teacher has the responsibility and the privilege, to help students grow intellectually, spiritually and socially.

Degree distribution is as follows:

Graduate 103

New College Undergraduates 62

Traditional Undergraduates 101

Total 266

There will be a reception following each graduation ceremony in Mabee Ballroom at the Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center.

We invite graduates, their friends and family members to help us record your special memories by uploading graduation photos and videos to the university’s Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube channels.

Hotel Discounts and Local Restaurant Information:Share this list of hotels with your guests to enjoy discounted rates from eight (8) local hotels during commencement weekend, August 19-20. Please note the reservation deadlines. For your convenience, a list of restaurants near St. Edward's is also provided.

About Keynote Speaker Susan Loughran

Beginning her career in the Theater program, Loughran immediately made her mark on the curriculum. She designed virtually every course in the curriculum, including courses in acting at all levels; directing; theater history; costume design and construction; and oral interpretation, among others. In addition to her formal teaching, she also worked with students on hundreds of theater productions. From 1978 to 2002, she was involved in more than 100 productions — either as director, actor or costume designer. And for six years, she was artistic director of the Mary Moody Northen Theatre. She increased the program’s enrollment and retention, improved the program’s reputation and theater itself, and built the audience base.

Theater, however, has only been one portion of her career at St. Edward’s. She has also been an important force in General Education. She began teaching Capstone in 1980, and has taught the course almost every semester since then. Loughran developed, piloted and instituted the civic engagement and social justice requirement in the Capstone course. She also served as director of Capstone.

In addition to Capstone, she has played a formative role in other elements of the general education curriculum. She was part of the original faculty group that created the arts requirement: CULF 1319: Understanding and Appreciating the Arts. She was also a leader in the Moral Reasoning Across the Curriculum initiative and authored the document that emerged from that initiative. She wrote a handbook for another key general education course: American Dilemmas. For years, she has also taught one of the most popular sections of Freshman Studies: The 1960s.